Austintown school board accepts bid to rebuild high school track

A dedication ceremony for the new Austintown Middle School is next week.

By SEAN BARRON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

AUSTINTOWN — Thanks to a move by the board of education, the reconstruction of the track at Austintown Fitch High School is closer at hand.

At their meeting Thursday, school officials approved hiring R.T. Vernal Paving and Excavating Inc. of North Lima to reconstruct the track. The company came in with the lowest bid of $244,750.

Last May, groundskeepers made repairs to the track, which began to bubble a few minutes before a regional finals meet, recalled Rob Conklin, athletic director. The event went on, but by the next day, the track had buckled in numerous places, Conklin noted.

Work is necessary for safety reasons and will include making the track more level as well as replacing the asphalt and underlying base materials, explained Thomas D. Hura, the district’s director of business services. The project should get under way shortly, he said.

The track, which was installed in the early 1970s, has exceeded its life expectancy of 20 to 22 years, noted Superintendent Douglas Heuer. In addition to school-related functions, the track is used by the community as well as for Special Olympics and Relay for Life events, Heuer added.

Dedication ceremony set

Also at the session, Heuer announced a dedication ceremony for the new Austintown Middle School, set for 5:30 p.m. next Friday at the school, 800 S. Raccoon Road.

The program will include a tour as well as an opportunity to see a new all-purpose field made of artificial turf at Fitch and renovations at Frank Ohl Intermediate School, the superintendent said.

Beginning in September, Frank Ohl will house pupils in grades four and five.

In other action, Hura said an auction will be later this month at the former Austintown Middle School, 5800 Mahoning Ave., for bidding on desks, filing cabinets, book shelves and other equipment at the facility. Hura was unable to provide a date.

The board also approved a motion to increase school meals by 15 cents to 40 cents for the 2007-08 school year, which will mark the first such increase in the district in four years.

The district is under state mandate to have cafeterias at least “break even” financially, Hura noted, explaining that cafeterias can’t operate under a deficit and be bailed out with general fund money.